Two more Ohio students have died after being shot by a fellow teenager who opened fire in the high school cafeteria on Monday.

Russell King Jr, 17, succumbed to his injuries and was declared brain dead early on Tuesday, while Demetrius Hewlin, 16, died a few hours later. Two other injured students remain in hospital.

Danny Parmertor, 16, was declared dead a few hours after the shooting at Chardon high school, which took place on Monday shortly before 8am.

The teenage suspect in the shootings is due to appear in juvenile court for the first time on Tuesday afternoon. Police in Chardon said they would not name the suspect for legal reasons, but his family identified him in a statement issued through a lawyer as TJ Lane.

Lane's family said they were devastated and wanted to convey their "most heartfelt and sincere condolences" to the young victims and their families.

At a press conference on Tuesday morning, Tim McKenna, the police chief leading the investigation, told reporters: "I cannot provide a motive for this."

McKenna said the suspect would appear at a juvenile court in Geauga County at 3.30pm, but did not give details of the charges against him. A statement would be given by prosecutor David Joyce following the hearing, he said.

Tapes of the 911 calls would also be released, he said.

Underlining the nature of the close-knit community of the small Ohio town of around 5,000 people, McKenna said: "My last thought is Chardon will take care of Chardon."

Local residents pledged to wear red, the school's colour, in support of the victims of a shooting they were still struggling to understand. Schools in the area will remain closed until Friday.

The superintendent in charge of Chardon's 3,100 students described the shooting as a "wakeup call" for parents and urged them to hug and communicate with their children.

Lane, the 17-year-old suspected of the shootings, has been described by friends and classmates as a quiet, withdrawn boy from a troubled background who was bullied. Others have described him as a "good kid".

His school, Lake Academy, describes itself as a place for "at risk" students who are "reluctant learners". Pupils typically struggle with problems including "substance abuse/chemical dependency, anger issues, mental health issues, truancy, delinquency, difficulties with attention/organization, and academic deficiencies".

Lane's lawyer, Bob Farinacci, said: "By all accounts TJ is a fairly quiet and good kid. His grades are pretty impressive ... He's a sophomore. He's been doubling up on his classes with the intent of graduating this May. He pretty much sticks to himself but does have some friends and has never been in trouble over anything that we know about."

In a television interview, Farinacci said Lane was "full of remorse" about what he had done.

"He is a very confused young man right now," Farinacci said. "He's very confused. He is very upset. He's very distraught ... This is a very scary circumstance that I don't think he could have possibly even foreseen himself in the middle of."

On a Facebook page that appears to belong to Lane and has many Chardon students as friends, the teenager has posted a picture of himself in a leather jacket. It is a typical teenage site, with posts of favourite films, such as The Others, Fight Club and Let Me In, and TV programmes including The Office.

Lane lists his college as "we don't need no education" and his school as "we don't need no thought control", a reference to the Pink Floyd anti-establishment song. He has listed his work as "free the slaves" and his hobbies as surfing, longboarding and primitive hunting. People who inspire him include David Icke, and there is also a reference to Icke's book, David Icke's Guide to Global Conspiracy.

A poem that Lane wrote on Facebook in December, which he said he wrote in school, has taken on a different hue in light of Monday's shooting.

"In a quaint lonely town, sits a man with a frown. No job. No family. No crown. His luck had run out. Lost and alone," Lane wrote, in a post that is no longer available.

"His only company to confide in was the vermin at his feet. He longed for only one thing, the world to bow at this feet."

"So, to the castle he proceeds, like an ominous breeze through the trees. 'Stay back!' The Guards screamed as they were thrown to their knees. 'Oh God, have mercy, please!'"

Nate Mueller, a boy who was injured in the shooting but managed to escape, said he was friends with Lane in middle school, when he "got into the goth phase".

At a candlelit vigil in Chardon square on Monday night, one of Lane's friends described him as someone who was trying to keep his emotions in check.

Jonathan Donato, who lit a candle for the victims and Lane, told 5abc: "He was just a person that, like, wanted to hide himself and keep all of his emotions in. And he was doing what he wanted to do: Hiding his emotions. They built up and they built up inside of him, and they came out in a way that nobody would expect."